Looking for colleges with cycling in mind... Help me out!

[elegant]

So, just like the title says, I am looking for a school in which I'll be transferring to with a large, friendly, and even competitive cycling community.

Just a little bit of my background that will sort of explain why I picked the schools on my list. I come from California and lived there until I was about 19 and ended up attending a military college near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I'm about done with my second year here and it's now time to transfer to further continue my education (enthused). I'll keep this brief... My "life story" isn't exactly the easiest to explain. Now for the list (In no particular order).

Santa Barbara, CA (UCSB)
Boulder, CO (CU Boulder)
Durango, CO (Fort Lewis)
Boone, NC (App State) (my one out of state pick for some variety/outside the box)
Long Beach, CA (CSULB)
Fort Collins, CO (CSU)
San Francisco, CA (SFSU)

I'm really just looking for some personal experiences and suggestions. None of these areas are greater than the other from my perspective as of right now. I'm asking you to influence me :D

Thank you!

[Bob Loblaw]

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in California. Excellent school and the cycling (and college cycling team) are the standard.

I went to UCLA, and raced for them. You could do worse, but there is a lot of traffic. We were always jealous of the SLO guys.

Also USD and UCSD have strong cycling communities and great area cycling.

BL

[pitcrew]

Boone, NC is a great place to go for an outdoor activity minded individual. Great riding! In addition to ASU (in Boone), you also have Lees-McRae in nearby Banner Elk, NC. Lees-McRae is very cycling friendly- cycling scholarships!

[sjbraun]

Tucson has a very active cycling scene.

[Jason E]

Along the lines of what Pitcrew said, NC has good ted at many schools. UNC, NCSU, APP State, Wake Forest, and good hoops to boot. Not CA but not a bad alternate.

NC is a great place to g to school.

[eddief]

as if i was standing still:

http://calcycling.org/about/

[54ny77]

cal poly slo....awesome.

[wc1934]

You would probably know better than me, but I remember reading that Ft. Lewis in CO has produced some strong cycling teams - didn't mention anything about their academics.

[oldpotatoe]

So, just like the title says, I am looking for a school in which I'll be transferring to with a large, friendly, and even competitive cycling community.

Just a little bit of my background that will sort of explain why I picked the schools on my list. I come from California and lived there until I was about 19 and ended up attending a military college near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I'm about done with my second year here and it's now time to transfer to further continue my education (enthused). I'll keep this brief... My "life story" isn't exactly the easiest to explain. Now for the list (In no particular order).

Santa Barbara, CA
Boulder, CO
Durango, CO
Boone, NC (my one out of state pick for some variety/outside the box)
Long Beach, CA
Fort Collins, CO
San Francisco, CA

I'm really just looking for some personal experiences and suggestions. None of these areas are greater than the other from my perspective as of right now. I'm asking you to influence me :D

Thank you!

Pick the best academically, the riding/cycling would be secondary to me, IMHO. You are only going to be there a couple/few or so years, aren't going to get a pro cycling contract out of it, the educations is paramount, IMHO again.

Nice weather(it's snowing right now in the 'republic...AGAIN!!!) and I think cycling would kinda follow. CA is where I would go, with a good academic program in the field you are looking for.

[rwsaunders]

If you're not into being on a racing team, as much as looking for a cycling friendly town in combination with your college experience, cities like Portland and Minneapolis come in mind...tough weather can be mixed of course. The report card link below also has a category for bike transportation associated with 300 or so schools.

Best of luck with your college search and keep us posted.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/08/20-most-bike-friendly-cit_n_530186.html#s79376&title=1_Minneapolis_Minnesota

http://www.greenreportcard.org/report-card-2011/indicators

[Dave B]

Indiana University. Largest cycling intramural event in the world Little 500

Marion College (also in Indiana) one of the best track programs in the country.


Cheaper living then out west.

[firerescuefin]

Couple of things. First let me get my inner dad out of the way. Cycling needs to be down on the list behind academics and overall school culture fit for you.

Now that I have said that. A lot of the areas/schools you have mentioned are great schools, but all over the map as far as culture/general experience. CU Boulder and CSU Ft Collins would both be destination spots for riding and great teams, but couldn't be more different regarding culture and general mindset.

I am a UF Grad, and the cycling team there is awesome. The SECC is great cycling conference and travel is not that bad + you can ride 365 day there. There are team training rides going out 6-7 days a week...but at some winter schools, you have other great activities that you may already love/learn to love that would be great crosstraining for cycling (snowshoing/CC skiing). Amanda (cycle_chic) is a new member here and member of the UF Cycling team. She would be a good person to shoot a message to regarding the current state/culture of their team.

Good luck....and I envy you :cool:

[elegant]

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in California. Excellent school and the cycling (and college cycling team) are the standard.

I went to UCLA, and raced for them. You could do worse, but there is a lot of traffic. We were always jealous of the SLO guys.

Also USD and UCSD have strong cycling communities and great area cycling.

BL

Cal Poly SLO was definitely on my list until I found out they didn't have what I was looking for academically. Recently, though, I have found that they have customizable programs that the student can put together themselves. I need to call them to get more info on it; if I could put together the right program SLO has every school beat out!

I am a little surprised nobody has mentioned Boulder, though. :bike:

[firerescuefin]

I am a little surprised nobody has mentions Boulder, though. :bike:

If you have the means, once you've paired it down to a couple of schools, you need to visit them. CU Boulder is love/hate. I have a few friends here that transferred out because they didn't like the vibe and the bend of the teachers, others who loved it.

[Uncle Jam's Army]

For reasons others have said, pick academics first. Having said that, and all things being equal academic-wise, I would pick Long Beach last from that list, and I'm from Southern California. Traffic is bad in the city of Long Beach itself, and, although there is some good riding in nearby Orange County, you would have to drive to it to access it or do a long 80 mile ride to access it.

I like the suggestion of SLO. Awesome college town and great riding along with great California weather.

[elegant]

Thank you everybody for your responses!

And to clear some ambiguity in the air, I ensure you I am keeping academics in mind! :) All of these schools were chosen based on their academic programs and the fact that I can get residential tuition in the state of California and Colorado. :banana:

As for cycling, I ruled out many of the schools with snowy winters (Marian, Minneapolis, Indiana) with the exception of Colorado. I don't know... I am trying to keep an open mind, but my California origin always sits on my shoulder's whispering sweet weather...

I am CERTAIN I want something with at least some change. So, going back to LA (which I also failed to mention) is mostly out of the question.

I'm happy to hear great things about Boone, nonetheless. I have yet to visit APP State!

[Ken Robb]

UCSD has an active team and there are LOTS of other clubs and groups in the area. It is a very rare day here when the weather precludes cycling. I live near UCSD and some of the team live in my 'hood. Nice group.

I didn't know USD had a team but it's a fine school. One nephew and a niece are grads and a second nephew is a junior there now. I would imagine SDSU must also have a team.

There is a velodrome with a race program for riders of many abilities.

What academic program interests you?

[benitosan1972]

SLO, Davis, UCLA, Berkeley, UCSD...

Staying in CA means a few things:

-quality, affordable education at public schools
-which means you can afford that new Di2/EPS rig
-which means you can ride it pretty much 365 days a year
-which also means you have access to great road, track, cross, MTB
-which also means you can find a great burrito to eat post-ride! :banana:

[rwsaunders]

This site has been very helpful to my daughter with her college search and there are many others such as www.princetonreview.com.

http://www.cappex.com

[echappist]

For reasons others have said, pick academics first.

Couple of things. First let me get my inner dad out of the way. Cycling needs to be down on the list behind academics and overall school culture fit for you.




Pick the best academically, the riding/cycling would be secondary to me, IMHO. You are only going to be there a couple/few or so years, aren't going to get a pro cycling contract out of it, the educations is paramount, IMHO again.



+1 to all three. I personally disdain colleges that market themselves on sports teams, and it follows that the disdain also applies to schools whose claim to fame is cycling. There's only one school on that list that has a good reason to do this, and it is that an alumnus who donated quite a bit wanted them to get a sport team that would generate the most exposure; they choose cycling.

[54ny77]

when i was there, cpslo required that you declare your major when coming in as a freshman or as a transfer student. not sure if they still do that?

for many, that's a good thing--it keeps you from staring at the sky going, "la la la, what should i do with my life..." direction can be a positive for some. for others, that kind of structure doesn't work. regardless, it is a spectacular school first, and spectacular cycling second.

every few years or so i pick up a wheelmen alum kit...and when i look at the size of the kit (compared to what I wore many years ago) and my bike stash, a little voice inside says, "hey fatso, you really have become 'that guy.' you know, the one you yourself used to make fun of as a starving college student, who at the time could peel off hwy 46 loop rides with a hangover and on tubes patched up 3x or more." :banana: :D

funny cpslo wheelmen story: i was part of the 4-man team that got 2nd in the western collegiate track champs (team pursuit), held down at the then-dominguez hills track (now the home depot center). we got back and told everyone, it was cool and lots of cheers...and then we informed everyone we were the only other school there big enough to field a full pursuit squad! :banana: :p

hey at least we didn't get lapped! although, by the end it was getting close (less than half a lap). i recall the winning team was from a school in colorado, and there were some soon-to-be pros on there. names escape me at the moment.

Cal Poly SLO was definitely on my list until I found out they didn't have what I was looking for academically. Recently, though, I have found that they have customizable programs that the student can put together themselves. I need to call them to get more info on it; if I could put together the right program SLO has every school beat out!

I am a little surprised nobody has mentioned Boulder, though. :bike:

[elegant]

UCSD has an active team and there are LOTS of other clubs and groups in the area. It is a very rare day here when the weather precludes cycling. I live near UCSD and some of the team live in my 'hood. Nice group.

I didn't know USD had a team but it's a fine school. One nephew and a niece are grads and a second nephew is a junior there now. I would imagine SDSU must also have a team.

There is a velodrome with a race program for riders of many abilities.

What academic program interests you?

It's news to me that you can race on the San Diego velodrome. I thought it was similar to Encino (people come out to ride it, but it's not something to race on). I was hoping to get competitive on the track so that's a big plus!

Academically I am looking for a Geography program with a Geographical Information Science emphasis/concentration.

Thanks for the reply, San Diego has breached my curiosity to say the least!

[zoomer]

lees mcrae college
cu boulder
university of vermont

[mvrider]

In grad school at Stanford, a fellow student who was on the cycling team at Rice told me, "Had I gone here for undergrad, I never would have graduated. I would have spent all my time cycling!"

So! Great cycling may become an hindrance to completing your academic goals.

(My friend is now a professor in physics at CU Boulder :-), where his housing development is filled with former Olympic caliber athletes, like Davis Phinney, etc.)

[peanutgallery]

go to the People's Republic of Athens, GA - that is where I got my start. SECC is a great place to learn to race. we used to own the Gators and those geeks from GA Tech:)

that aside, college is the experience that each student makes of it - does not matter where you go. academic interests should be much higher on the list, though

[djg]

What do you want to study and where can you get in? You've listed some very different schools. What's the plan?

There are schools around the country that have cycling teams and access to good training terrain. Find 5 good candidate academic programs, and chances are that at least one has a cycling team and an area cycling community. And this isn't just about cycling is it? The number of people who make it from a US college to a pro cycling career is miniscule and even the strong racing colleges mostly don't have programs in the way that big time D1 varsity sports have programs. You're on your way to your second college. I assume that you have specific goals. Your life, but I'd say maximize your education and career preparation and let cycling criteria work as a tie-breaker, or maybe enough to tip the balance in a close call.

[scottyjames]

lees mcrae college
cu boulder
university of vermont

+1 on Zoomer's inclusion of UVM. Great riding community up there. Not exactly western skiing conditions, but imagine the crazy skills you'll develop carving on blue ice...

[PBWrench]

University of Wisconsin -- Madison. The best of the best!

[vqdriver]

UC Davis

[gdw]

GIS? If you want a job forget CU and the other Colorado schools. Your best bet would be one of the colleges in CA. See if you can find a school in the southern part of the state with ties to ESRI in Redlands. ESRI is the giant in the field and a bit of a cult but once you get proficient with the ArcInfo products your future is golden.

[elegant]

GIS? If you want a job forget CU and the other Colorado schools. Your best bet would be one of the colleges in CA. See if you can find a school in the southern part of the state with ties to ESRI in Redlands. ESRI is the giant in the field and a bit of a cult but once you get proficient with the ArcInfo products your future is golden.

I actually have an ESRI connection that happens to be my neighbor in Manitou Springs, Colorado. He's a project manager there and most recently they've told him to stop the work he's doing to write a book about spatial analysis and such. He told me that he's got connections with the UCSB Geography program professors. Should I not underestimate this opportunity?

[gdw]

Take advantage of it and look into their summer internship programs. Getting one at Redlands would be ideal but they also offer them at some of their field offices. I'm not a big fan of their corporate culture but the knowledge and experience you gain from working for or with them will open a lot of doors in other industries.

[Ken Robb]

The SD Velodrome has a website that may have info about the race programs. I have been to evening races several times as a spectator and I know they used to also offer training and coaching and I'll bet they still do.

[elegant]

The SD Velodrome has a website that may have info about the race programs. I have been to evening races several times as a spectator and I know they used to also offer training and coaching and I'll bet they still do.

After you mentioned the velodrome I immediately Googled it and found their website. They offer training, coaching and all kinds of races. Thank you for your recommendation!

[dziehr]

University of Wisconsin -- Madison. The best of the best!

This. Boston also has a wonderful cycling community. MIT, Tufts, BU, BC, UMass, and Harvard. That last one has one hell of a team, though I'm a little biased.

[binouye]

Great biking, big UC school -- whether its a good fit for you depends on your academic interests also. There are tons of organized rides, from brevets and century rides to informal races, a weekly TT series, etc.

[wingnut]

OP - you mentioned that you had considered academics first. May I ask what subject/field you'd like to study? I feel that would help us make better suggestions amidst so many colleges/universities with cycling cultures.

I graduated from UC Davis and if you haven't seen the bike circles there, I suggest you look it up. Cycling is by far the preferred method to get around campus. If your field of study coincides with veterinary medicine, I think UCD is a great choice.

That said, without knowing what you'd like to study, I STRONGLY recommend Stanford! Cycling around the SF Bay Area is great, especially with the weather that we have here. Stanford also has strong academics to make it worthy of consideration. I also love the campus as I'm there quite often!

[roguedog]

I actually have an ESRI connection that happens to be my neighbor in Manitou Springs, Colorado. He's a project manager there and most recently they've told him to stop the work he's doing to write a book about spatial analysis and such. He told me that he's got connections with the UCSB Geography program professors. Should I not underestimate this opportunity?

This seems to argue for Ucsb. Great area for cycling though I don't know if they have a formal program/team. There seem to be a lot of cycling camps run out of this area though.

I'm an Aggie :hello: but am wondering why Cal isn't on the list. I think they have a well known Geo dept. Don't know bout their gis dept though. Sounds like gdw knows tho.

Go for the academics, stay for the cycling. Heh. :banana:

[elegant]

OP - you mentioned that you had considered academics first. May I ask what subject/field you'd like to study? I feel that would help us make better suggestions amidst so many colleges/universities with cycling cultures.

I graduated from UC Davis and if you haven't seen the bike circles there, I suggest you look it up. Cycling is by far the preferred method to get around campus. If your field of study coincides with veterinary medicine, I think UCD is a great choice.

That said, without knowing what you'd like to study, I STRONGLY recommend Stanford! Cycling around the SF Bay Area is great, especially with the weather that we have here. Stanford also has strong academics to make it worthy of consideration. I also love the campus as I'm there quite often!

UC Davis was number one for me until I became more aware of what field sparked my interest. I'll be going into GIS (Geographical Information Science). I haven't checked if Stanford has that program, but I know for a fact that Davis does not. SF State and Berkeley are both schools that have my program, though. I've only visited the bay area a few times and I definitely enjoyed my time there, but have yet to visit any of the campuses.

[slowgoing]

If you think you could get into Stanford or Berkeley and do well, you'd be doing yourself a disservice by going to any of those other schools except UCSB.

[oldpotatoe]

Cal Poly SLO was definitely on my list until I found out they didn't have what I was looking for academically. Recently, though, I have found that they have customizable programs that the student can put together themselves. I need to call them to get more info on it; if I could put together the right program SLO has every school beat out!

I am a little surprised nobody has mentioned Boulder, though. :bike:

Depends on what you want to study. I am a CU alum, live, have a shop in the 'republic' but I wouldn't automatically recommend CU academically, it depends. Some good programs, some not.

BTW-I like the weirdness of Boulder, the '35 square miles surrounded by reality' of the place, wouldn't live anywhere else. 'May' be too liberal for some.

Riding is great but it's 11 degrees right now with lotsa snow on the ground.

[goblue]

Bloomington="college town" and....Amazingly beautiful women!!

[gdw]

CU's Geography Department has an excellent doctorate program. Undergrad...there are better options.

[Lovetoclimb]

Several great schools with diverse academics here: Univ of Cinci, Xavier Univ, Northern KY Univ. Perhaps one of those will have a program you are looking for.

Speaking for the cycling community, there is everything you could want here short of mountains. Today I rode 55 miles with 3k feet of climbing though, on mostly deserted back roads in NKY. Some of the best riding I have found in the country is just across the river from Cincinnati. Even going north into the farm country provides good riding with very diverse topography. And given the mild climate (never too cold or too hot I would say) you can pretty much ride year round. I bike commute everywhere and race competitively in road and cross. I also started and manage a local racing team with a college friend.

So on to the competitive scene: IF you are into road, its huge here. We have an 8-10 week series of spring races put on by one promoter partnering with local clubs and teams to staff them. Its well thought out, supportive, and safe. Look up Big Dave Sports for more info. Then the crit scene picks up in May and runs through August, with races consistently on weekdays and weekends. Never a week where you can't find a race to do.
Now if CX is your game, just look to a sister city, Louisville KY. Almost the same size and hosting worlds next year. CX is exploding in growth and one of the fastest growing regions seems to be the midwest. Another local promoter and shop owner, Mitch Graham, puts on the OVCX series. In coordination with worlds this series is going to be all over the map in 2011/12. We are doing a Cross After Dark race (a la CrossVegas) and every weekend for 10 weeks there is 1 or 2 races within a 2 hour drive. Over half of the series takes place <30 minutes from Cinci.

MTBing is still in its infancy competition wise, but there is not shortage of large state parks in Ohio and KY that provide some excellent rad getting. While I do not partake, it is mostly because I blow all of my money on road and CX stuff, and not having a car to get to the trails provides enough of an excuse.

I am happy to go on in greater detail or answer any questions you have about the scene here. It has been an amazing run for me in this area, honestly I can only think of a few places that appeal to me more. And that is primarily because I have lived in Ohio for 26 years. Time to be exploring what else is out there.

drop me an email through my contact info on the site in my signature.

Tailwinds,